Short Communication - Journal of Psychology and Cognition (2021) Volume 6, Issue 9

Unequal parental treatment, narcissism and sibling relationships

Department of Pharmacy, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Telangana, India

*Corresponding Author:

Sowmya Vennam
Department of Pharmaceutics
Osmania University, Hyderabad
Telangana, India
E-mail: Nehakouser45@gmail.com

Accepted on September 20, 2021

Short Communication

Individual experiences of differential parenting techniques within the family have been recognised as one of the elements that influence the character of sibling relationships. Differential parenting refers to how parents treat one child differently than how they treat their other children in the household. Differential parenting that is viewed as legitimate by children, based on the children's varied needs and responsive to their developmental differences, may not have the same emotional consequences as parental behaviour that is perceived as unjust and persistently "one-sided." Parental favouritism is more likely to be associated with the latter parenting approaches. The negative impacts of differential parenting on the quality of the sibling relationship are exacerbated by the child's perception of differential parenting techniques as unjust and inequitable. Differential treatment of siblings by parents has been speculated to lead to differences in the quality of sibling relationships and to produce negative in them by producing feelings of rivalry, wrath, and mistrust. Being the nonpreferred kid, according to Garcia, Shaw, Winslow, and Yaggi (2000) [1], increases a child's conflict with siblings during childhood.

Boll, Ferring, and Filipp (2003) [2] found that an individual's experienced relationship with a sibling was best when both were treated equally and declined with growing favouritism or disfavoritism. They surveyed 1,020 adults between the ages of 40 and 54 years. The preferred sibling is more prone to feel guilty about or scorn for the disfavored brother or sister, who, in turn, is more likely to feel angry, resentful, and jealous of the favoured sibling (Angel, 2006; Brody, 1998) [3,4]. Disparities in parents' affection and warmth toward different children in the family, as well as differences in how restrictive and punitive parents are toward each child, have been shown to degrade the quality of sibling relationships during childhood and adolescence, and to provoke hostile, coercive, and frequent conflict between siblings. Rauer and Volling (2007) [5] found that parental differential love was substantially linked to emotions of jealously toward one's sibling in a study of 200 young people aged 18–22 years.

Perceptions of being treated unjustly by parents and of being the outcast kid may follow a person throughout adolescence and adulthood. When parents' behaviours are aimed unequally toward their children, studies on sibling relationships in adolescence have been reported as being more unfavourable. Receiving less parental attention or more harsh discipline than one's sibling may result in low self-esteem, behavioural difficulties, or unhappy sibling relationships. According to research, uneven parental treatment impacts siblings' psychological functioning and generates conflict in their relationships (in young adulthood).

The current research is based on an object-relations family approach, which assumes that sibling relationships in young adulthood are derived from internal representations of each sibling's experiences with their parents, as well as perceptions of differential parental care and attitude toward each sibling. Early interactions with parents and siblings are thought to be important in the development of later adult personality, which impacts subsequent interpersonal relationships. In young adulthood, these internalised familial experiences express themselves in everyday relationships between siblings.

Siblings' opinions of themselves are influenced by their parents' treatment of them differently. Variations in parental differential treatment, according to Sheehan and Noller (2002) [6], explain adolescents' individual differences in self- and otherperceptions. When a kid perceives parental partiality, he or she may feel inferior, angry, and sad, as well as ugly and inept. The favoured kid, on the other hand, may experience both good (e.g., more security and love) and negative (e.g., sibling jealousy and higher parental duty) effects as a result of parental favouritism. Thus, whether one is the favoured kid or the nonfavored child, parental favouritism appears to be linked to one's self-perception and to be pathogenic for both parents and children (as found among college students; Zervas & Sherman, 1994) [7].

References

1. Garcia MM, Shaw DS, Winslow EB, et al. Destructive sibling conflict and the development of conduct problems in young boys. Dev psychol. 2000;36(1):44.
2. Boll T, Ferring D, Filipp SH. Perceived parental differential treatment in middle adulthood: Curvilinear relations with individuals' experienced relationship quality to sibling and parents. J Fam Psychol. 2003;17(4):472.
3. Angel S. New paradigms for treating relationships. Library of Object Relations; 2006.
4. Brody GH. Sibling relationship quality: Its causes and consequences. Annu Rev of psychol. 1998;49(1):1-24.
5. Rauer AJ, Volling BL. Differential parenting and sibling jealousy: Developmental correlates of young adults’ romantic relationships. Pers Relationsh. 2007;14(4):495-511.
6. Sheehan G, Noller P. Adolescent’s perceptions of differential parenting: Links with attachment style and adolescent adjustment. Pers Relationsh. 2002;9(2):173-90.
7. Zervas LJ, Sherman MF. The relationship between perceived parental favoritism and self-esteem. The J Genet Psychol. 1994;155(1):25-33.